Mustangs soccer

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

The Marble Falls High School boys soccer team was seven minutes away from clinching the playoffs on Friday, March 13, but a late goal by Pflugerville ended the Mustangs' season in a 2-1 loss.

“We played so hard there was nothing left,” Mustangs Head Coach Rick Hoover said. “They left it all on the field. If you bought tickets tonight, you got a good show.”

See the full story in the Tuesday, March 17 issue of The Highlander. Subscribe to the e-Edition here.

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

The Marble Falls Mustangs soccer team advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals following a 6-4 win over District 20-5A winner Caney Creek on Tuesday in Bastrop.

The game was tied at two at the end of regulation, and two 10-minute overtime periods failed to find a winner. Both teams prepped their goalkeepers and five shooters for penalty kicks to determine who would advance.

Mustangs senior goalkeeper Michael Vazquez stopped half of the Panthers' PK tries, and his teammates hit four-of-four to propel the Mustangs to the next round.

Penalty kick saves weren't the only saves Vazquez made. In just the seventh minute of the game, a Mustangs defender misplayed a ball, and one of the Caney Creek forwards found himself alone with Vazquez. Vazquez calmly rotated to the ball and stopped the shot.

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

The Marble Falls soccer team advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Hutto Hippos on Thursday night in Liberty Hill.

The Hippos gave the Mustangs a competitive match throughout - a vast improvement over the 6-1 loss they suffered to the Mustangs in preseason.

After a slow start, the Mustangs gathered themselves and played their game. Mustangs head coach Rick Hoover said nerves were a big part of the mistakes in the first 10 minutes of play.

With 25:40 left in the first half, junior midfielder Josiah Rojas got the opportunity he was probing for and put the game's only goal in past the Hippos goalkeeper.

By Nathan Hendrix

Sports Editor

Fans in attendance who were looking for a defensive, one-nil soccer game were disappointed on Tuesday night as the Marble Falls Mustangs opened the flood gates on district opponent Glenn in a 9-1 victory.

The Mustangs scored five goals in the first half and four goals in the second half in their highest scoring game of the season. Senior forward Isek Munoz registered a hat trick in the first 16 minutes of gameplay. Mustangs' head coach Rick Hoover said Munoz was in a groove from the opening kick-off.

“When you get [a player] that gets hot like that, they're hard to stop,” he said. “Their confidence goes through the roof, and it's amazing how much easier things can become when you have that momentum.”